Customer Testimonial: Portascanner® WATERTIGHT – 08 Dec 2017

“We did some transit inspection work on one of our customers vessel using the Portascanner and we are very pleased with your instrument. We are looking forward extending our service offer using it. We had proper support from you and will stay aware of your product in the future to see new opportunities.”

Techsol Marine designs, builds, integrates, installs and supports state-of-the-art electrotechnological solutions for the marine industry. Over the years, Techsol Marine has gained a reputation as an established integrator of “Whole Ship Electrical Solutions”.

Friday Feedback – Coltraco Customer Care is critical to our company

Customer Feedback from Norway – Feb 2018

We are fortunate to have many customers who thank us and applaud our quality instrumentation and customer care; our thanks to Mr Ted of AMTRAK, Washington DC, USA for his kind comments.

“The Portalevel™ MAX instrument is top notch, by far the best in its class. Last month, we completed in time the fleet FE-13™ fire extinguisher cylinders annual verification. Smooth operation - no glitch, no problem to report.” In a message to our CEO this month :

“Dear Carl, I hope you are doing well. The Portalevel ultrasonic instruments perform nothing less than excellent ! Our technicians did not experience any glitch over the past two annual campaigns. We had one isolated incident where one FE-13™ cylinder was found empty during the central block overhaul; that bottle had been tested using the Portalevel™ instrument, a few months earlier, and – then – the suppressant agent level within the cylinder was found within limits. That cylinder was sent to the company that handles the refilling for us (a contractor), for investigation. Apparently, a leak developed, and the agent escaped the cylinder. I follow up Coltraco on Facebook – I am happy to see your company continues to extend and expand operations worldwide. Best wishes, Carl, and success in the future !

Having recently returned our PORTASCANNER II unit to the makers, Coltraco, for servicing and calibration, we are extremely pleased at the level of co-operation we received back from them, not only in continuing feedback but also in the manner in which the Company Management perceived our requirement from a cost effective means in bringing, not only the unit, but the carriage and storage container, back up to an operational condition, in a time sensitive and timely manner. The unit itself undergoes a relatively hard life in the field and on site, whilst in the hands of experienced surveyors but also in a tough environment. Our PORTASCANNER II unit performed well during the entire period of use, proved rugged and we feel sure that if it had not required returning for mandatory calibration and certification, the unit would have performed well for many more years to come. Be that as it may, the added bonus from the unit's return is the updated readout and software which permits a more definitive execution of the reporting and documentation when on site, testing weather deck closing devices. Our dealings with the Coltraco Management and Servicing Team has been a gratifying experience and feel sure with the returned, serviced, calibrated and updated PORTASCANNER II unit, it will continue to give us the professional edge in being able to continue to offer a complete service to Ship Owners and Time Charterers and other interested parties in the protection of transporting their commodities for years to come.

With kind regardsCaptain J. F. Holmes,Botrans Ltd.,

Thanks Dorothy I did get an automated DHL e mail to say that you were despatching goods, very efficient thanks S Africa

George, We are 100% satisfied. I was 100% satisfied the day before - I just had to get the consensus in our group. Please pass many thanks to “my man” Henry – he answered so very professionally all of our questions. Today was a good day, the third one of intensive testing for us here in our High Speed Rail Facility. We used two FE-13 cylinders, placed at different temperatures (38°F and about 45°F). We used three operators (including myself), taking multiple readings, moving higher in the learning curve, clarifying procedural steps, and getting more an more familiar with the Portalevel MAX. The three key elements we were looking for: consistency of measurements, precision, and ease of use – we found them all. Our intensive testing with Portalevel MAX showed it clearly - your company is indeed all about integrity, quality, and customer support. Honestly, I can’t thank you enough for your kindness, listening to our operational dilemma and allowing us to fully test your instrument without charging first, and providing unconditional customer support along the way. Thank you once again, George.USA

Carl, Thank you for coming to visit us and discuss the distribution opportunities for the Coltraco product range. As you so rightly predicted, the Porta Level does in fact give reliable readings and I am somewhat humbled by my scepticism. Our company would be very privileged to be able to distribute your products throughout Australasia and into SE Asia. Australia

Hello Henry, We actually used the new unit today for the first time in the field. The technicians that used it were pleasantly surprised at the ease of use and how accurate it was. Thanks much, MikeUSA

Clare,Thanks for your note. PM testing of WT doors is on a 3 month basis using Portascanner. I also test all WT doors at rig`s Marine Integrity Inspection using the Portascanner and I still consider it invaluable.UK

Henry. I think all I require from this point is the amount that I owe you for servicing the Portalevel. We will keep the unit we own & pay for repairs. Thank you for such great service USA

Clare, Compliments of the season to you as well. The Scanner is new on the Rig and has been used maybe 4 times to date. It works well and is pretty easy to understand and operate. We have no issues with the unit. Kind Regards, UK

Carl, We have recieved your unit in excellent condition and are very satisfied with the durable casing. The unit has become an integral part of our operations and every Halon cylinder purchased is being checked using the indicator.India

Hi Good afternoon from a sunny South Africa, first of all we received our brand new unit in December 2012 and its working perfect for our application. Best regards S Africa

Hi Carl, Hope you are all well. We have finished the bulk of our testing now, with Novec to complete it all. The equipment worked very well and found all the levels with no issues, Moving forward we would like to be associated with Coltraco and if you would like to forward a proposal or agreement document for us to review that would be appreciated.Australia

Hello Henry, Thanks for your reply its much appreciated, I am doing Watertight Integrity on all the Rigs within the Division of India and the Middle east. I am trying to get the best service possible with the use of Portascanner, Great bit of Kit. USA/India

Henry, I used the unit on some Fenwal spheres today and it worked great. USA

As a brief example of the types of organisations that we are used to working with, please find below a few examples of the companies using Coltraco equipment.

Shipping & Marine Servicing Companies

Case Studies

Coltraco Limited prides itself on conducting all of our relations professionally and with integrity. As an example of how we work, please find below some brief examples:

Ship Management Company scales whole Fleet with Portascanner™ II

First contact was made on one of Coltraco’s numerous foreign trips to visit our existing and future customers. From here we introduced the Portascanner™ II with all of the strengths that in can offer to an operator. Confidence was gained in both the company and the equipment by the customer until the decision was taken to trial some of the equipment onboard the vessels in their real environment. 2 units were subsequently purchased and placed in use within the fleet. After a 3 month trial period, the Portacanner™ proved that it offers the crew a more accurate, quick and efficient method of checking the Hatch cover Watertight Integrity than alternative methods such as Hose or Chalk testing. Over the next few months the rest of the fleet was equipped with a unit per Bulk Carrier and to this day, the units are in use and working well, providing the vessel operators and owners with confidence that there will be no problems with water damage claims.

Nuclear Power Station requires specialist monitoring equipment

Coltraco Limited was contacted by one of the UK’s leading provider of Nuclear Power. Their problem, a specialist monitoring system was required and no such equipment existed in the market place. Our in house Design team evaluated the requirement and the specifications for such equipment, and in conjunction with the customer, we began to design the equipment and application to fit their requirements. As specialists in Ultrasonic’s, we were able to develop a unit to retrofit onto their existing tank infrastructure which was in turn linked to an alarm, alerting the on duty personnel if the tank content ever fell below a safe level. To this day the equipment is still in use with no defects, replacement or breakages entailed. Indeed this programme has been so successful that a second batch is now being ordered.

Fire Servicing Company equips multiple locations with Portalevel™

A well-known Fire Servicing company in the USA recently enquired for our Portalevel, Ultrasonic Liquid Level Indicator having been recommended our equipment by an associated company. Their interest in the equipment was to see if Ultrasonic Liquid Level Indication was a viable, accurate and cost effective alternative to testing cylinders by weighing. Two units were purchased for an extensive trial and the Portalevel™ was put into operation from their Head Office for a period of 6 months with 2 of their Engineers trained by Coltraco free of charge.

After the trial period, the results were clear. The Portalevel™ had successfully reduced the time, manpower and cost that the company had to commit in order to carry out a survey of a customers Fire Suppression systems. Smaller teams had to be sent in order to carry out testing with testing only taking around 25% of the time when compared to the methods they were using previously. These cost benefits they were able to pass onto their customers in offering more attractive tender propositions and now the Portalevel™ is in use in every one of their 14 locations.

What others say about Coltraco

Coltraco has been in operation for many years now and during the company's history we have worked within many sectors. We have a rich history of successful customer relations and below is a sample of some of the feedback we have received over the years.

With our thanks to El-Installatoren who are a pleasure to work with. Please find below a positive email we received this morning in response to recently returning their Portalevel® MAX for calibration:

"The best brand I have seen, always use it on CO2 fix testing on various vessels, rigs and platforms, on many kinds of cylinders." Great to see the pre-2012 6th generation Portalevel model going strong.Setareh-Sahabi

Hi Mary. "Thanks for your followup! I did receive your information and it was very helpful for our new servicemen. We are very satisfied with the equipment and it’s function. If we experience any problems ,we will contact you, but at the moment everything is working perfect. Have a nice day!" Best regardsRoy

"Thank you for your very prompt response and I hope you had a nice Christmas as well.

Wow! That is very generous of you to send me some stickers I am very impressed with your customer service and will definitely pass along great remarks about you and Coltraco. Let me know if there is any cost, shipping etc. I really would like to use the Coltraco stickers, my big inspection is not until February so no need to rush ship them.

Like I said in my initial email I use a Portalevel Max that we have had for almost 2 years now. Mostly I use it on 100Lbs CO2 cylinders for Fire Suppression systems. A lot of these systems are in places like Chip manufacturing Clean rooms were it is difficult to either move cylinders or get a scale in to weigh them. Our Portalevel has worked great, most of the cylinders we inspect at our larger customers are very similar in steel thickness and are with in 6 to 10 years in mfg. dates so it is fairly easy to determine the level of every cylinder. We have also used our Portalevel on Halon and FM-200 tanks in several site were the tanks have no liquid levels indicators and are mounted in difficult places like above equipment and above ceilings of Data Centers for an example. There have only been a few older tanks when I have had a question on my readings, I figure it is probably due to a steel thickness or weld issue. At my previous Employer a had used the earlier model Portalevel, and had the cable to the sensor head come out of the twist lock coupling. My guess from is that happened from abuse, techs holding the Portalevel by the cable or not twisting the coupling enough before unplugging. Other than that it has been a great tool and has saved thousands of dollars in labor costs.

Thanks again."

Chuck.USA.

"Good afternoon, We have received the replacement extension rod and have posted the original to yourselves as requested. Thanks you so much for your prompt response to this matter, Customer service must very high on your company ethos."André FlameSkill Ltd UK

"I have done plenty of online purchases and I have to say that you are one of the best, if not the best company, in terms of customer service, promptness of response to enquiries and RFQ. Your post sales technical support is also of a high standard. I wish more companies were like yours". CKD Devices World Malaysia

"Being the user of your products since 2002, we can be nothing but satisfied with the quality"DSSerbia

"I am very pleased with the service provided by Coltraco"JLSingapore

"I would say that your company is an organisation to imitate"IDJASpain

"In my opinion your service is well ordered and I can not suggest how the quality of your service could be improved. We are very satisfied with your competence and kind co-operation"Aleksandr ZerebcovAfalita ShippingLithuania

"quite impressed with the service from Coltraco, the packaging, the quality of the kit itself, and documentation....everything is great. Many thanks ..it has been a long time since I had received such a wonderful level and quality of support and communication..."NDSurvival SystemsTrinidad, 23 March 2009

"It was one of the best vendor experiences I have ever dealt with ... very responsive and professional"BTUSA

"Thank you so much for your timely response. I walked into the office this morning and there was my Portalevel!"P McKOhio, USA

"The whole enquiry and purchasing experience went down very well; I wish all companies could be as efficient as yours. 10 out of 10"PDPSouth Africa

"The firemen liked your products very much because it is easy to work with them"PPBulgaria

"Our Portalevel arrived back on The Rock this morning. Thank you for a first class service."PHGibralter

"Thank you for the mail and also the excellent service. It really is an absolute pleasure to do business with you."AASouth Africa

"We received the instrument and we are very happy with it!"Pim PoppeliersPolmai Brandbeveiliging BV

CEO Message

Integrity and Science Key to Our Culture of Performance

Dear Coltraco Customers, Strategic Partners and Distributors,

Integrity is our defining value. Performance is its consequence. We understand that our customers have choices, and how we perform determines whether customers choose us. Coltraco’s Code of Ethics does not merely require compliance with laws. It embodies a Commitment to positive behaviours that build trust, promote respect, operate with distinction, with courtesy and global levels of performance, demonstrating our integrity and delivering customer performance.

We honour our commitments, communicate transparently, and act with honour. Ethics are the foundation of our performance culture and our science-based approach. We lead in specific technologies delivering the watertight integrity monitoring of marine structures and the monitoring of fixed liquefied gaseous fire extinguishing systems and the room integrity of protected space to ensure agent hold-times post-installation. We show this by our understanding of the science in them and the mathematics that explain them.

I would like to thank you for your business and for the relationships with our Customers, Strategic Partners, Distributors and ODAs who we value so highly.